1. Home
  2. IRIN Blog

Condoms can do their bit for climate change

Sign in health center that says "Condoms distributed freely here". Mercedes Sayagues/PlusNews

You could be doing your bit for climate change by keeping your family small says a London School of Economics study, Fewer Emitters, Lower Emissions, Less Cost.



This commonsense finding also established that it was cheaper: contraception costs almost five times less than conventional green technologies that lower harmful emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.



Thomas Wire, author of the study, found that every US$7 spent on basic family planning over the next four decades would reduce global CO2 emissions by more than a ton; achieving the same result with low-carbon technologies would cost a minimum of $32.



Based on a global population of about 8.4 billion by 2050, meeting basic family planning needs would mean 34 billion tons less of CO2 between now and 2050 – nearly six times the annual emissions of the US, and almost 60 times the annual UK total, according to the Optimum Population Trust, the UK-based think-tank that commissioned the study.



Read the study: Fewer Emitters, Lower Emissions, Less Cost



jk/he


This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Share this article

Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join